How an author answers the other side
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Open on Sundays (article)
[1] The Fairview Library is closed every Sunday, and some residents say it should remain that way. [2] They argue that few people would come, since many families travel or rest on weekends. [3] They also say that paying the staff for another day would cost the town too much money.
[4] I believe the library should open on Sundays. [5] It is true that some families are away, but many others are free only on that day. [6] Parents who work long shifts during the week cannot bring their children after school. [7] A student with no computer at home could use a library computer to finish a report. [8] A library that stays closed on the one day many people are free serves its community poorly.
[9] The cost is a fair worry, so the town could try opening for only four hours. [10] If few people come after six months, the town can return to the old schedule. [11] A short trial costs little, and it lets Fairview learn what its own families really need. Map: Other-views box: [1] to [3]. Author's position box: [4]. Answer box: [5] to [11].
Zee studies the map. Which sentence is the first answer to the claim that few people would come on Sundays?
- [2] They argue that few people would come, since many families travel or rest on weekends.
- [9] The cost is a fair worry, so the town could try opening for only four hours.
- [4] I believe the library should open on Sundays.
- [5] It is true that some families are away, but many others are free only on that day.
Ari reads sentence [9], which begins The cost is a fair worry. Which view does sentence [9] answer?
- That the library should open on Sundays for the families who are free.
- That paying the staff for another day would cost the town too much.
- That few people would come, since many families travel or rest on weekends.
- That libraries are no longer useful to most of the families in town.
Bo wants to know how the author answers the cost worry in sentences [9] to [11]. Which choice fits?
- By accepting the worry and offering a short trial that limits the cost.
- By proving that opening on Sundays would cost the town nothing.
- By agreeing that the library should stay closed on Sundays.
- By pointing out that parents who work long shifts cannot visit after school.
Calculators in Math Class (article)
[1] Some teachers want calculators kept out of middle school math class altogether. [2] They say that students who lean on a calculator never learn their multiplication facts. [3] They also worry that a student will type in numbers without checking whether the answer makes sense.
[4] I think students should use calculators, but just for the right jobs in math class. [5] The teachers are right that facts must be learned, so quizzes on basic facts should be done without a calculator. [6] However, a long problem with large numbers tests patience more than understanding. [7] A calculator handles the arithmetic and leaves the student free to think about what the problem is asking.
[8] The second worry is also real, which is why students should estimate an answer before they press any keys. [9] If the display shows a number far from the estimate, the student knows to look for a mistake. [10] Used this way, a calculator becomes a check on thinking rather than a replacement for thinking itself. Map: Other-views box: [1] to [3]. Author's position box: [4]. Answer box: [5] to [10].
Esme studies the map. Which sentence is the first answer to the worry that students will not check their answers?
- [5] The teachers are right that facts must be learned, so quizzes on basic facts should be done without a calculator.
- [8] The second worry is also real, which is why students should estimate an answer before they press any keys.
- [4] I think students should use calculators, but just for the right jobs in math class.
- [3] They also worry that a student will type in numbers without checking whether the answer makes sense.
Kira wants to know how the author answers the first worry in sentences [5] to [7]. Which choice fits?
- By telling students to estimate an answer before they press any keys.
- By agreeing that calculators should stay out of math class.
- By showing that students already know their facts without any practice.
- By agreeing that facts must be learned, then limiting calculators to long problems.
The Walking School Bus (article)
[1] Maple Hill Elementary may start a walking school bus, in which a few parents lead a line of children along a safe route each morning. [2] Some neighbors object that morning traffic is too heavy for children to cross safely. [3] Others say that parents have no time to walk because they must get to work.
[4] I support the plan, because it solves the very problems the neighbors name. [5] A line of children is much easier for drivers to see than one child alone. [6] The route would also use only the crossings that have a guard and a working signal. [7] Heavy traffic is a good reason to walk together, not a reason to stay home.
[8] The time worry deserves a fair answer. [9] Each parent would lead the walk just one morning a week, which takes about twenty minutes. [10] Parents who cannot take a turn could help by drawing the route map or by signing in the children when they arrive at school. Map: Other-views box: [1] to [3]. Author's position box: [4]. Answer box: [5] to [10].
Milo reads sentence [9], which says each parent would lead the walk just one morning a week. Which view does it answer?
- That parents have no time to walk because they must get to work.
- That morning traffic is too heavy for children to cross safely.
- That the school should start a walking school bus.
- That children are safer when parents drive them to school.
Noah wants to know how the author answers the traffic worry in sentences [5] to [7]. Which choice fits?
- By making the worry a reason: a group is easy to see and the crossings are guarded.
- By showing that traffic near the school will soon be lighter.
- By agreeing that children should not cross busy streets.
- By asking each parent to lead the walk just one morning a week, for about twenty minutes.
Paper Maps (article)
[1] Many people say that paper maps now belong in a museum, because phones can guide almost anyone almost anywhere. [2] They point out that a phone shows your own position on the screen and speaks each turn aloud. [3] A paper map, they add, cannot tell you where you are standing.
[4] I believe hikers and drivers should still carry a paper map in their packs and glove boxes. [5] A phone is wonderful on a city street, but it depends on a cellular signal and a charged battery. [6] In hills and forests, a signal can disappear without any warning. [7] A paper map never runs out of power, and it works the same way on a cold morning as on a warm afternoon.
[8] It is true that a map will not show where you are standing. [9] That is the reason to learn to read it, since matching the land to the map is a skill that builds a sense of direction. [10] A person who can read a map and use a phone is ready no matter which tool fails. Map: Other-views box: [1] to [3]. Author's position box: [4]. Answer box: [5] to [10].
Pia studies the map. Which sentence turns the granted point about standing position into a reason for the author's side?
- [3] A paper map, they add, cannot tell you where you are standing.
- [9] That is the reason to learn to read it, since matching the land to the map is a skill that builds a sense of direction.
- [6] In hills and forests, a signal can disappear without any warning.
- [8] It is true that a map will not show where you are standing.
Ren reads sentence [6], which says a signal can disappear without any warning. Which view does it answer?
- That phones can guide almost anyone almost anywhere, so paper maps are no longer needed.
- That a paper map cannot tell you where you are standing.
- That phones are too hard for most people to use.
- That hikers and drivers should still carry a paper map in their packs and in their glove boxes.
Tala wants to know how the author answers the point in sentence [3] that a map cannot show where you are. Which choice fits?
- By proving that paper maps can show a person's exact position.
- By pointing out that a paper map does not run out of power.
- By agreeing that paper maps are no longer worth carrying.
- By granting the point and then making it a reason to learn the skill of reading a map.